The main reason for the failure of modern medical
science is that it is dealing with results and not causes. For
many centuries, the real nature of disease has been masked by
materialism, and thus disease itself has been given every opportunity
of extending its ravages, since it has not been attacked at its
origin. The situation is like to an enemy strongly fortified in
hills, continually waging guerrilla warfare in the country around,
while the people, ignoring the fortified garrison, content themselves
with repairing the damaged houses and burying the dead, which
are the result of the raids of the marauders. So, generally speaking,
is the situation in medicine today; nothing more than the patching
up of those attacked and the burying of those who are slain, without
a thought being given to the real stronghold.

Disease will never be cured or eradicated by present materialistic
methods, for the simple reason that disease in its origin is not
material. What we know as disease is an ultimate result produced
in the body, the end product of deep and long acting forces, and
even if material treatment alone is apparently successful this
is nothing more than a temporary relief unless the real cause
has been removed. The modern trend of medical science, by misinterpreting
the true nature of disease and concentrating it in materialistic
terms in the physical body, has enormously increased its power,
firstly, by distracting the thoughts of people from its true origin
and hence from the effective method of attack, and secondly, by
localizing it in the body, thus obscuring true hope of recovery
and raising a mighty disease complex of fear, which never should
have existed.

Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and
Mind, and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental
effort. Such efforts, if properly made with understanding as we
shall see later, can cure and prevent disease by removing those
basic factors which are its primary cause. No effort directed
to the body alone can do more than superficially repair damage,
and in this there is no cure, since the cause is still operative
and may at any moment again demonstrate its presence in another
form. In fact, in many cases apparent recovery is harmful, since
it hides from the patient the true cause of his trouble, and in
the satisfaction of apparently renewed health, the real factor,
being unnoticed, may gain in strength. Contrast these cases with
that of the patient who knows, or who is by some wise physician
instructed in, the nature of the adverse spiritual or mental forces
at work, the result of which has precipitated what we call disease
in the physical body. If that patient directly attempts to neutralize
those forces, health improves as soon as this is successfully
begun, and when it is completed the disease will disappear. This
is true healing by attacking the stronghold, the very base of
suffering.

Let it be briefly stated that disease, though apparently so cruel,
is in itself beneficent and for our good and, if rightly interpreted,
it will guide us to our essential faults. If properly treated,
it will be the cause of the removal of those faults and leave
us better and greater than before. Suffering is a corrective to
point out a lesson which by other means we have failed to grasp,
and never can be eradicated until that lesson is learnt. Let it
also be known that in those who understand and are able to read
the significance of premonitory symptoms, disease may be prevented
before its onset or aborted in its earlier stages if the proper
corrective spiritual and mental efforts be undertaken. Nor need
any case despair, however severe, for the fact that the individual
is still granted physical life indicates that the Soul who rules
is not without hope.

To understand the nature of disease certain fundamental truths
have to be acknowledged.

The first of these is that man has a Soul which is his real self;
a Divine, Mighty Being, a Son of the Creator of all things, of
which the body, although the earthly temple of that Soul, is but
the minutest reflection: that out Soul, our Divinity Who resides
in and around us, lays down for us our lives as He wishes them
to be ordered and, so far as we will allow, ever guides, protects
and encourages us, watchful and beneficent to lead us always for
our utmost advantage: that He, or Higher Self, being a spark of
the Almighty, is thereby invincible and immortal.

The second principle is that we, as we know ourselves in this
world, are personalities down here for the purpose of gaining
all the knowledge and experience which can be obtained through
earthly existence, of developing virtues which we lack and of
wiping out all that is wrong within us, thus advancing towards
the perfection of our natures. The Soul knows what environment
and what circumstances will best enable us to do this, and hence,
He places us in that branch of life most suited for that object.

Thirdly, we must realize that the short passage on this earth,
which we know as life, is but a moment in the course of our evolution,
as one day of school is to a life, and although we can for the
present only see and comprehend that one day, our intuition tells
us that birth was infinitely far from our beginning and death
infinitely far from our ending. Our Souls, which are really we,
are immortal, and the bodies, of which we are conscious, are temporary,
merely as horses we ride to go on a journey, or instruments we
use to do a piece of work.

Then follows a fourth great principle, that so long as our Souls
and personalities are in harmony all is joy and peace, happiness
and health. It is when our personalities are led astray from the
path laid down by the Soul, either by our own worldly desires
or by the persuasion of others, that a conflict arises. This conflict
is the root cause of disease and unhappiness. No matter what our
work in the world - bootblack or monarch, landlord or peasant,
rich or poor - so long as we do that particular work according
to the dictates of the Soul, all is well; and we can further rest
assured that in whatever station of life we are placed, princely
or lowly, it contains the lessons and experiences necessary at
the moment for our evolution, and gives us the best advantage
for the development of our selves.

The next great principle is the understanding of the Unity of
all things: that the Creator of all things is Love, and that everything
of which we are conscious is in all its infinite number of forms
a manifestation of that Love, whether it be a planet or a pebble,
a star or a dewdrop, man or the lowliest form of life. It may
be possible to glimpse of this conception by thinking of our Creator
as a great blazing sun of beneficence and love , and from the
center, an infinite number of beams radiate in every direction,
and that we and all of which we are conscious are particles at
the end of those beams, sent out to gain experience and knowledge,
but ultimately to return to the great center. And though to us
each ray may appear separate and distinct, it is in reality part
of the great central Sun. Separation is impossible, for as soon
as a beam of light is cut off from its source it ceases to exist.
Thus we may comprehend a little of the impossibility of separateness,
as although each ray may have its individuality, it is nevertheless
part of the great central creative power. Thus any action against
ourselves or against another effects the whole, because by causing
imperfection in a part it reflects on the whole.

So we see there are two great possible fundamental errors: dissociation
between our Soul and our personalities, and cruelty or wrong to
others, for this is a sin against Unity. Either of these brings
conflict, which leads to disease. An understanding of where we
are making an error (which is so often not realized by us) and
an earnest endeavor to correct the fault will lead not only to
a life of joy and peace, but also of health.

Disease is in itself beneficent, and has for its object the bringing
back of the personality to the Divine will of the Soul; and thus
we can see that it is both preventable and avoidable, since if
we could only realize for ourselves the mistakes we are making
and correct these by spiritual and mental means there could be
no need for the severe lessons of suffering. Every opportunity
is given us by the Divine Power to mend our ways before, as a
last result, pain and suffering have to be applied. It may not
be the errors of this life, this day at school, which we are combating;
and although we in our physical minds may not be conscious of
the reason or our suffering, which may to us appear cruel and
without reason, yet our Souls (which are ourselves) know the full
purpose and are guiding us to our best advantage. Nevertheless,
understanding and correction of our errors would shorten our illness
and bring us back to health. Knowledge of our Soul's purpose and
acquiescence in that knowledge means the relief of earthly suffering
and distress, and leaves us free to develop our evolution in joy
and happiness.

Thus we see that by its very principles and in its very essence,
disease is both preventable and curable, and it is the work of
spiritual healers and physicians to give, in addition to material
remedies, the knowledge to the suffering of the error of their
lives, and of the manner in which these errors can be eradicated,
and so to lead the sick back to health and joy.